May 10, 2010

It's been a whirlwind month for my photo-a-day challenge. April saw my trusty Canon Rebel sidekick disappear into the thieving ether, and two scrambled snaps from my PowerShot before an amazing friend of mine stepped forward with a loaner – another Rebel, no less – while I dealt with an insurance claim and the eventual purchase of a new camera. All along though, the photos came – and I consider this at least a small victory.

Amazing April weather was a big help, too (I wish I could say the same thing for May so far). Friendly conditions outside always makes for better material overall.

As has come to be a tradition with these monthly updates, I provide once again my favourite from the past 30 days: a portrait of our friends' kiddo being held my the ankles – simply because I suggested to dad that it would make for a fun shot. Hopefully kiddo doesn't hold a grudge; he seemed to enjoy it.

May 06, 2010

I never experienced the glory of a comic-book phase at any point of my childhood (or adulthood, for that matter). I was left awkwardly in the lurch in high school art class when my friends held competitions to see who could draw the best Wolverine. My only comparable obsession came from reading The Adventures of Tintin books, which were stocked as a beat-up, dog-eared collection in my elementary school library, usually alongside a few copies of Asterix.

Now that I'm all grown up – complete with disposable income – I'm slowly piecing together my own collection of the Tintin series. One here, one there – usually procured at Toad Hall Toys whenever I'm searching for presents for my niece or nephew (or for Kerry). I'm finally coming into my own as a full-blown Tintin geek.

This primarily stems from my absolute love of Hergé's artwork (that, and the fact that any scan of Captain Haddock's furious mug usually makes me laugh). But Hergé's graphic, flat-colour, stay-within-the-lines approach has always had an appeal for me as a sensible, structured and detail-oriented graphic designer. I've long wished to make an attempt at placing a character of myself into Tintin's world, seeing how we share similar dimensions, taste in clothes – often, even the same wisp of hair. And this week, I finally pulled it off.